So...a large chunk of my student teaching this year is going to be in a ceramics classroom. Here is ceramics in a nutshell:
- Make something out of a blob of clay.
- Fire it in a kiln
- Slap some glaze on it.
- Cook it again.
- It’s done. (so, I guess there’s no step 5).
As you might imagine, I struggled to think of ways to integrate technology into the ceramics classroom. “Maybe ceramics just doesn’t need any fancy technology,” I thought.
Well, after doing a little googling, I found some cool technological stuff that I could incorporate into the classroom. Here’s a couple things that I found:
- Youtube videos! I know what you’re thinking: “Just telling kids to look stuff up on Youtube is not super innovative, and is probably just lazy.” Fair enough. But what about having kids film themselves on a pottery wheel and make an instructional video that they can post to Youtube? Then the students are able to analyze themselves and reflect on their own growth. They are also able to teach others what they know! That sounds like a deepened learning experience to me!
- Glaze software! Making glazes is often a part of ceramic programs. You take basic knowledge about glaze chemistry, apply it, and then try it out on some test pieces. That is a great way to learn, but there are now some cool (and often free) online tools that can help in the creation of glazes. These tools can make suggestions that will help you avoid common glazing problems, and can also remove the need for lots of annoying math! This tool can increase the time it takes to develop and test a glaze, and also offer an easy way to store successful glaze recipes.
These ideas might not be super groundbreaking, but they are practical ways to deepen learning. I might place these ideas in the modification category, as I don’t think these drastically improve or innovate. I do, however, think that this is a good first step into the world of SAMR!
Oh...and there's this:
I love your title! These are great ideas to use. I really like your idea of having the students film themselves to track their growth and also solidify the information that they are learning in class.
ReplyDeleteI too like the idea of having kids film themselves to track progress! Do you think that you would just use this for the pottery wheel? Or could you use it with other skills as well? I just remember in my high school ceramics class we did a lot of stuff that wasn't the wheel, so just wondered if you had any ideas for that?
ReplyDeleteTeaching a student how to read a eutectic chart would go along way with helping them understand chemistry on a concrete level. Also, different firing techniques and how the glaze can change within different atmospheres would be good too. Let me know when you get that 3D printer, and I'll take some personal leave!
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